Location: Toronto, CanadaAddress: 45 Colborne StreetWebsite:http://woodsrestaurant.ca/Type of Meal: Dinner Colborne Lane, during its
pre-Origin days, was my favourite restaurant in Toronto.I was slightly disappointed to hear about its
closure, but it had to be done given Chef Aprile’s attention was divided and Colborne’s
innovated streak slowly waned. So, when I heard news of Woods opening, I had to
go pay a visit – even if it was just a quick after work dinner.

The interior has been redone
to add lighter and brighter touches.Woods,
named after Chef Bruce Woods, aptly describes the restaurant’s décor.The entire dining room features it!From the wooden beams & flooring leftover
from Colborne Lane, the large chandelier
at the entrance and even the fabric on the bar stool & bench seats.The hints of white does open the space up as
somehow Woods looks larger than the former Colborne.

Even a weeknight dinner
requires a cocktail and Woods menu has a limited but good offering of
them.The sparkling ginger ($10) sounded
interesting with a mix of whisky, ginger and prosecco.This is a great cocktail for someone who
doesn’t like them too sweet or too strong, the whisky is toned down by the dry
prosecco and without simple syrup. Fresh
cubes of ginger sit at the bottom of the flute so that every bubbly sip is
filled with an aromatic and flavourful hit.

Following the cocktail, a
staff member came around with a basket of bread offering sourdough or whole
wheat.I opted for the dense but soft
sourdough.Sadly, there was nothing to
rave about; for a restaurant that’s “fine” dining I would have hoped the bread
be at least warm.

As a warning, Wood’s portion
sizes are quite small so you will need an appetizer.Since it was a quick dinner, we went with
just mains and after seeing my choice of roasted Muscovy duck breast ($28), I
knew I’d be hungry later in the evening.

Regardless, the duck was
cooked to a perfect rare despite an amazingly rendered and crispy skin.Sliced thinly, each piece was tender and flavourful;
I just wish there was more of it! The accompanying ingredients - dried
cherries, what seemed like dehydrated shredded meat and oil filled deep fried
croutons - could be improved. All the
ingredients were dry and so strong that for me over powered the delicious
duck.It’s refreshing to see a Chef
actually be at their restaurant, during our visit Chef Woods calls out a
friendly goodbye from behind the bar during our departure.Hopefully, this trend will keep up as its
predecessor would prove that once the Chef’s attention is gone, all too often
the restaurant starts going downhill.
Although I wasn’t blown away
by this experience with Woods, I wouldn’t mind returning and trying some of
their other dishes – the scallop appetizer and rib eye entrée ordered at
neighbouring tables looked delicious.It’s
doubtful it’ll ever become my favourite restaurant in Toronto (that title has
yet to be filled), but Woods shows promise to become a “treat yourself to a
nice dinner” place – just as long as you’re not too hungry.